| ABOVE: the San-shin painting of Kye-seong-sa, in a Sam-seong-gak [Three Sages Shrine] includes two main figures, each with a pair of dongja attendants (but only one tiger). The figure to the left of San-shin (who is depicted fully bald, with only a Daoist head-scarf, a rare case) has the face and hat of a Buddhist Bodhisattva. His or her robes are fancier than San-shin's, but not up to the level of a typical Bodhisattva. There are a few other cases of a Bodhisattva appearing in a San-shin taeng-hwa in my collection of 800. But in this one, uniquely, the equality of their position and the presence of 2 girl donja on the left and 2 boy donga on the right (behind the respective main figures) imply that this is a Wife-Husband San-shin couple! Daoist-immortal 'husband' and Buddhist Bodhisattva 'wife', both representing Kyeryong-san -- this is quite a new & bold theological step! A large green boulder (looking like a frog) sits between them, and huge flowers (symbolizing Buddhist enlightenment) grow from it or behind it. A statue of the Deok-seong [Lonely Saint], an enlightened disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha usually enshrined in a complimentary and parallel position to San-shin, sits in front of this painting, adding to the heavy Buddhist flavor. |
